Over 45,000 new, additional words beyond the original columns, including many interviews and additional materials.

BONUS: Purchasers of The Show Doctor receive free access to thirteen videos that were specially created to supplement it. These videos feature performances, explanations, and interviews about certain topics in the book.

NOW IN PAPERBACK! Released as a hardcover in 2012, Jeff McBride's The Show Doctor received spectacular reviews and quickly became an international bestseller. Now that the hardcover has sold out, we are delighted to release The Show Doctor in a new paperback edition.

Available from Theory and Art of Magic Press and leading dealers everywhere.(Dealers contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies.)

PRAISE FROM THE PROS:

Eric Eswin, Honorary President of FISM: "I bought The Show Doctor a while ago and have just started reading it. M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S! Congratulations! It should be mandatory reading for magicians before they do any public performance."

Bob Fitch: "Have you ever felt that rush of. . .excitement when you figured out how a trick was done or when something that has eluded you for a long time, suddenly, in a moment, became absolutely clear? The light bulb effect! Of course you have. Well, you'll get that effect many times when you look through the pages of this now-classic tome. Don't put it on your shelf, put it IN your hands."

Lance Burton: "If you only read one magic book this year, make it The Show Doctor."

Mac King: "I truly believe that Jeff McBride is the best guide to improving your magic show in the world today."

Kevin James: "Jeff's book is pure gold. If you are looking for inspiration on how to be more creative and a better performer, look no further."

Ken Weber (author of Maximum Entertainment): "Some magicians have asked me if I was going to write a sequel to my one and only book. In many ways I truly feel that sequel is what you are holding in your hands right now."

Eugene Burger: "In the twenty years I have worked closely with Jeff McBride, I have seen him inspire and transform the performances of countless magicians. He is a master teacher of magic."

Max Maven: "A couple of thousand years ago, the Roman philosopher Seneca said, 'People pay the doctor for his trouble; for his kindness they still remain in his debt.' Which is why we all owe a debt to the Show Doctor. You can start to repay that by buying this book. It will make your magic more healthy."

OUTSTANDING REVIEWS KEEP ROLLING IN:

"★★★★★. Jeff McBride’s excellent “The Show Doctor” is almost required reading for anyone who wants to entertain with magic." A Top Ten Magic Product of 2012 — Wayne Kawamoto, About.com (Magic and Illusion)

“Jeff McBride is unquestionably one of this era’s most influential magicians. His new book, The Show Doctor, may become one of the most influential books as well. . . . It is as helpful and useful as Ken Weber’s Maximum Entertainment, which set the standard for show improvement lessons.” — Jim Kleefeld, M-U-M magazine, October 2012

“It’s a rare thing for a seasoned professional magician to release a book full of such great advice. And that’s why I think The Show Doctor will become an instant classic.” — Farrell Dillon, MAGIC Magazine, October 2012

“If you already have 50 books on tricks, you can afford to read [this one] to get the most out of them. As prevention is better than cure, a visit to The Show Doctor may prevent an uncomfortable post mortem later.” — David Britland, Genii, The Conjuror’s Magazine, October 2012

“There is so much great advice and material in this book. . . . Jeff McBride [diagnoses] 45 (or so) of the most common ailments in magic (in performance, business, pre-show, everything) and gives you a prescription to cure them. . . . If you don't learn something or get inspired from something in this book, you're just not trying. . . . So in a nutshell, a book full of tons of killer advice along with 11 excellent tricks/effects. Final Verdict: Five Stars. . . .” — Jeff Stone, Stone Cold Magic Magazine (online), July 2012

“The Show Doctor, by Jeff McBride and Lawrence Hass, is the best single resource for improving your magic act that I've ever seen. It has all of the great wisdom contained in Jeff's Magic Magazine columns plus illustrations, video, and over 45,000 words of additional material. The material contained in The Show Doctor has the potential to expand your horizons and improve your magic. Take a sabbatical from the Internet, turn off your TV, and be prepared to become the outstanding magician that you always wanted to be. This one gets my highest recommendation.” — Barry Fernelius, The Magic Cafe, June 24

“Once opened, I read from the first to the last page before I closed this book again. Wow, these pages contain an overwhelming amount of practical knowledge, wisdom, and clever tricks. . . . The hardcover book is very well produced, with high quality paper and witty drawings at the beginning of each chapter by Craig Conley and most illustrations with the tricks are by the late master illustrator Earle Oakes. If you want to go digital, there’s an IPad version of the book as well available. . . . In short, this is one of the most practical books available to improving your magic, learn some of the most powerful tricks of the trade and learn some new strong magic tricks. This book is highly recommended.” — Arjan Van Vembde, The Magic Café, July 30, 2012

“[The Show Doctor] is a gorgeous work; I've been at it all afternoon. And I had read the genesis of it before. Jeff's advice is some of the best, most specific, dead on I have read. The video additions are excellent as have been the new tricks I have read so far. — Steve Bryant, the Genii Forum, June 23

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Customer Reviews

A book that needs to be read again and again, and with each reading you will discover more wisdom and insights that will lead to an ever-rising spiral of learning and growth.

5 Stars

June 29, 2015

The literature of magic abounds with how-to information about magic tricks. Less abundant are works dealing with the performance of these tricks.

For many years the two standard works on this subject were Showmanship for Magicians, written by semi-professional magician Dariel Fitzkee in 1943, and Magic and Showmanship, written in 1969 by theatrical director and amateur magician Henning Nelms. Both these books provide good introductions to the subject of performance, but much of the information is dated, and neither author was a full-time professional magician.

The Show Doctor addresses both of these issues. It is written by Jeff McBride, a modern magician with decades of real-world experience as a working professional, with additional input from members of his team of experts, including Dr. Lawrence Hass, Associate Dean of the McBride Magic & Mystery School, and Jeff’s lovely and talented wife and partner, Abbi Spinner McBride.

The book is as fun and entertaining to read as it is educational and informative. There is enough information, direction, and self-inquiry in the first chapter alone to keep one busy for months. The Show Doctor is a book that needs to be read again and again, and with each reading you will discover more wisdom and insights that will lead to an ever-rising spiral of learning and growth.

A fine complement to The Show Doctor is another modern work on performing for magicians – Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber. These two books will give any magician, from the beginning amateur, to the hobbyist, the part-time professional, to the full-time worker, all the information they need to create the best show they can short of hiring theatrical professionals as advisors.

If you are magician of any kind, you need to add The Show Doctor by Jeff McBride to your library collection.